


The North Tower

by Angelica (Humanbutnothuman)



Series: Throw a World Off It's Axis [2]
Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 14:53:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13549668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humanbutnothuman/pseuds/Angelica
Summary: Joanna watches as her siblings leave her, one by one.





	The North Tower

It had been a few days since Aslan left Narnia and her subjects to her and her sibling's hands. Joanna sat at the edge of the North Tower-if her general or siblings found her here she'd be subject to lectures about how improper it was, how dangerous it was, or how reckless she was being. 

She didn't care. She needed to get away, and maybe it was because she'd been so overwhelmed by things, but she needed solitude at the moment.

It was selfish of her, and she had lessons to get to in the morning and treaties to write and so much to do, but she enjoyed the quiet before her handmaids would send a search for her and find her.

Her blonde hair fell loosely around her shoulders, her midnight blue dress blowing around in the cool night air. She thought of Jadis, and how she hadn't seen another living thing with straw colored hair in all of Narnia. Then she realized the night creatures would need a court too and how she would have to arrange that, then she remembered the treaties and balls, and the best way to fortify the country. Aslan had only left a few days earlier and she thought of what had to be done.

She was going alone into ruling tomorrow.

"Your Majesty?"

* * *

"Sam, come. I want to show you something."

Joanna took his hand and dragged him through the maze of hallways to the isolated northern quarters. They had been dubbed the 'cold part' of the castle when Joanna and her siblings had moved in oh so many years ago. Now, she just used it as her escapade when she needed space. No servant, except her handmaids ever came to this part of the castle. None of her siblings came here either, until now that is.

"But no one goes here!" Samuel raised his eyebrows, clearly disapproving of what she was doing. (It was HIS wedding practice she was dragging him away from, after all.) "There's nothing here, Jo."

Joanna smiled and pushed open the trapdoor to the roof. "Come on up, Sam. Humor me and sit with me, okay?"

"Fine, Jo."

Samuel stood in shock and turned around again to take in the aerial view of the castle, and all that surrounded it. The sun was just setting, painting the sky, blurring and mixing colors into the water. He carefully made his way to where she was sitting on the wall. 

"You're growing up, Sam, you're getting married tomorrow." Joanna's voice had a catch in it, even as she continued staring out at the water. "Forgive me for wanting to s-spend some time with you before you aren't mine a-anymore."

Joanna rested her head on his shoulder as the moon started rising among the green summer leaves.

And for a moment, she could pretend her brother was still a child.

* * *

"Can I snag Esther for a little bit?"

She had to let go of Samuel just a two years ago, now she would have to let go of Esther too. Esther followed her through the ornate palace to the Northern part of the castle. There were still no decorations lining the stairway of the tower, just stairs circling round and round and going straight up. It wasn't much, but she liked the feeling of the soft glowing marble.

"Joanna, this is an empty hallway." Joanna had once again snatched her siblings in the middle of doing something for their weddings. (She just wanted a little bit of alone time with them, but they were always with their fiances.) "Joanna. There isn't anything up here."

Joanna said nothing, but pushed the trapdoor to the lonesome tower open and climbed through.

"Joanna." Esther's voice began to have an annoyed tone in it, "I want to have time with my Lawrence."

"Humor me, Esther. Sit"

Esther looked at the moonlight washed Narnia, and the beautiful full moon reflecting on the sea. It gave everything a silvery glow, and a cool breeze ruffled their skirts. Joanna took Esther's hand and began massaging small circles in it, like she always had done when her little sister got nightmares.

"You're getting married in a few hours. Why did you grow up so fast?" Joanna pulled Esther into a tight hug, and her voice thick and watery. "I'm sorry for taking you away from your fiance, but I-I just wanted to spend a few more moments before you g-go."

As the cool night air washed over them, Joanna set a silver necklace on Esther's neck.

And she might have been pretending that they were still little girls and Esther had just asked her to braid her hair.

* * *

"Lucas, put down your book please."

Her siblings grew up too fast. She'd raised them through good and bad times and they grew up. She led Lucas through the dark corridors, and he grasped at her hands, maybe reassuring her that he was still there. She didn't know if Samuel or Esther had told him about where she took them the night before their weddings, or whether or not he was mad at her. She didn't care.

"Joanna, where are we going?" Lucas asked as they climbed up the millions of stairs spiraling upwards. She knew he had been reading something about how to be a good husband. (She knew he was going to be a good one but she didn't say anything.) "Joanna, where are we going?

Joanna pressed her lips together, not willing to cry so soon. She said nothing and pushed open the trapdoor.

"Joanna, why haven't I seen this place before?" Lucas gasped looking at the beautiful scenery around the castle. "I would have loved to take Juliet here."

The glistening powdery snow blanketed the whole of Narnia, and he had known that it was extremely beautiful, but he had never seen it like this before. The sun was setting, dumping the snow into a soft pinkish orange. He held her gloved hand within his larger ones.

"My baby boy has grown up. I can't believe it all, how did this happen?" Joanna shook her head, voice constricted and choked. "You're getting married tomorrow and Esther and Samuel are already married. I wanted to s-spend some time with y-you before you left."

They stood there for a few more moments.

And Joanna pretended like Lucas was still shorter and smaller than her.

* * *

It was a few days after Lucas's wedding. Joanna's breath showed as she blew out. Lucas had gotten married a few days ago. It had just hit her, and she traced her fingers against the icy wall, the one that so long ago she sat on wondering how she was going to rule Narnia.

Now, it was winter and she was alone, didn't have to worry about the lectures from her siblings about recklessness.

She was wearing a midnight blue dress similar to the one she had worn that day so many years ago.

She thanked Aslan for keeping her siblings relatively safe, for helping her guide Narnia into a peaceful age, for helping her keep Narnia safe. She thanked Aslan for so much. And she prayed for her siblings to be safe in whatever and where ever they were. She wasn't going to see them anytime soon, but it was okay if they were safe. Everything was okay if her country was stable and her siblings were safe.

Then it hit her.

She was alone again.


End file.
